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Carroll University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Coach K and team
Larry Radloff, d3photography.com
51
Winner Wheaton WHEATON 8-0 , 7-0
12
Carroll CARROLL 2-6 , 1-6
Winner
Wheaton WHEATON
8-0 , 7-0
51
Final
12
Carroll CARROLL
2-6 , 1-6
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WHEATON Wheaton 6 17 21 7 51
CARROLL Carroll 0 6 0 6 12

Game Recap: Football | | By Jeff Hagenau

Pioneers show glimpses of potential in loss to No. 5 Wheaton

Carroll falls to high-powered Thunder in difficult CCIW home-field clash

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Faced with the daunting task of facing one of the top teams in the nation, the Carroll University football team embraced the challenge and used it as an ideal opportunity to showcase its progression.
Carroll lost to No. 5-ranked Wheaton College 55-12 in a cold, blustery College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Schneider Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the second conference loss to a top-12 nationally ranked opponent this season for Carroll, which dropped to 1-6 in league and 2-6 overall.
Wheaton outscored the Pioneers 23-6 in the first half, including a 17-6 margin in what proved to be the decisive second quarter.
The eventual winning touchdown came on a 6-yard touchdown run by sophomore back-up quarterback Jeremiah Tucker with 11:39 remaining.
Sophomore starting quarterback Luke Anthony completed 14 of 20 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns with an interception for the high-powered Thunder, who amassed 27 first downs and 522 yards of total offense. Senior wide receiver Adam Terrini had five receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
Carroll continued to showcase its progress and determination throughout the battle, generating the third most points allowed by Wheaton this season.
The Thunder, who remained atop the highly touted conference standings with an unblemished 7-0 record and improved to 8-0 overall, came into the contest riding the momentum of a 40-0 home-field victory over Augustana - their fourth shutout of the season.
Wheaton previously yielded a season-high 21 points versus nationally ranked North Central College (35-21) and 13 points against Washington University in St. Louis (52-13).
Carroll's first points of the game came as junior defensive back Logan Heckman (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) answered with a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown to trim the deficit to 20-6 with 2:39 left in the second quarter.
On the memorable, highlight reel-play, Anthony attempted to throw a floating screen pass toward the right side to convert a third-down-and-seven situation as Wheaton drove into Carroll territory.
Heckman, who was positioned in man-to-man coverage, perfectly jumped the route on the slow-developing play, broke on the ball and hauled in the interception - moments later sprinting untouched down the sideline into the end zone.
"It shouldn't have even happened because I had called out a different coverage but our rover changed it and said to go man-to-man. When I saw the receiver break outside, there was a clear path to the ball and I just made the interception. The rest is history," said a smiling Heckman, of his memory-making third interception in the last two games and first collegiate pick-six. "After making it to the end zone, I was so out of breath and collapsed but it was a great feeling to be able to step up, make a play for the defense and put some points on the board. Looking back, it wasn't really about just making the pick-six but more about how it brought everyone together and energized the sideline. Earlier in the season, it was frustrating because I wasn't seeing the ball real well but my coaches (referring to first-year defensive backs coach Alex Collier and ninth-year head coach Mark Krzykowski) continued to stress the importance of staying positive, working through it and being ready to go when my number was called. I was just glad to contribute like that. It was the type of moment and memory that I will have forever.
"Coming into the game, we all knew about Wheaton and their reputation but also wanted to continue to maintain our identity. We realized that they were going to bring it and we needed to bring that same intensity to the field. At the end of the day, even though we didn't get a victory, we stayed together and that's what really mattered. After the game, we all talked about our resilience and how proud we were about how we fought as a team each step of the way."
Junior quarterback Michael Johnson (West Allis, Wis.) completed 13 of 29 passes for 137 yards with a touchdown for Carroll, which had 15 first downs and 198 total yards.
Johnson connected with sophomore wide receiver Alex Kujawa (Oshkosh, Wis.) on a 25-yard TD pass to cap a confidence-building 12-play, 75-yard drive with 5:46 left in the game.
The speedy, durable 5-foot-9, 185-pound Kujawa - who finished with five catches for 78 yards - continued his individual breakout season with a team-leading seventh TD catch. He is currently fourth in the CCIW in TD receptions, fifth with 5.8 catches per game and fifth in receiving yardage per game with an 86.3 average.
Junior linebacker Justin Kontny (Milwaukee, Wis.) and senior defensive back Peter Dombai (Chicago, Ill.) each registered a team-high 10 tackles. Heckman added seven tackles and a forced fumble.
"We came into it with an aggressive gameplan and just asked the guys to go out hard, take it play by play and attempt to make great things happen," said Krzykowski, whose team limited Wheaton to six points in the statement-making first quarter. "Throughout the day, we put together some great drives and continued to step up and make plays on both sides of the ball. Wheaton came in as the No. 5 team in the nation, they deserve it and we would never disrespect an opponent but we weren't about to put anyone on a pedestal. We fought hard from beginning to end. I'm extremely proud of the effort given by the players and entire coaching staff. We continue to show what being a Pioneer is all about and refuse to back down with each challenge. There are two weeks left in the season, a lot of football left to be played and we're going to enjoy every last minute of it."
Stay up to date on Carroll football this season by going online to www.gopios.com, or by following the Pioneers on Facebook (Carroll University Athletics), Twitter (@pio_athletics), and Instagram (@pio_athletics).
 
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